Iron Girl and the Teen Avengers
by amdragjakelong'sgurl
Summary: Tony Stark Has a daughter. Of course, He didn't KNOW he had a daughter. He also didn't know that she'd be an important part of the battle with Ivan, the Chitauri, and part of the Avengers with him. Steve O/C, Clint O/C Bruce O/C Thor O/C DIFFERENT OC'S
1. Chapter 1

"News rooms are buzzing with the information we've recieved. Tony Stark's alleged sixteen year old daughter, Tara Burnham, has been shot. And, this just in, blood tests reveal that Miss Burnham is indeed Stark's daughter. Word on her condition has not been..."

The TV with the news station shut off, the remote in the hand of the nurse, who had finally noticed that THE Tony Stark was sitting in one of the hard plastic chairs, running his hands periodically through his hair. There was a woman, dressed in a neatly pressed business suit, her almost blinding blond hair pulled tightly into a bun. The owner of the orphanage that Tara lived in, Andrea Malko.

"Mr. Stark?" A doctor approached him.

"Yes?" Tony stood and shook the mans hand, looking at him stoticly.

"She's stable, but she won't live much longer. The bullet shattered and the shrapnel is too close to her heart, and we can't remove it. She has five days, at most, before the bullet kills her."

Tony blanched, and ran his hands through his hair again. Tony looked at the blond for help, but she shook her head and stood.

"She's your responsibility now, Stark. Don't look to me for help." The Andrea walked away, heading towards the elevator without a second glance.

"Mr. Stark? What do you want to do?" The doctor nervously rung his hands.

"Is she stable enough to move?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then have her moved to my home. If there's no way for you to save her, then I can try, and even if I don't succeed, she'll die knowing someone loved her." Tony then pulled out his phone. "Pepper? I'm bringing Tara home. Have a medical room set up by the time we arrive."

The doctor had scurried off to do as Tony asked. Within five minutes, they were in the helecopter, En route to his house. Pepper met them at the door, looking at the girl who seemed so much more lifeless than she had less than twenty four hours ago.

When Tony entered the house, he went right into his lab, grabbing the familiar materials to make an arc reactor. If there was a shattered bullet heading for his daughter's heart, why not stop it the same way Yinsen stopped metal bits from going into Tony's heart?

As he worked, Tony thought back to the week he'd just had with the amazing teenager from the orphanage...

_Seven Days Earlier; William Mckinley Orphanage:_

_"Why are we here, again, Pepper?" _

_"Well, SOMEBODY decided to announce themselves as a superhero three months ago."_

_"So?"_

_"SO..." Pepper looked out at all the orphans running around. "If you wanna be a hero, you're going to have to act like it, even when you're not in the suit, Tony." _

_"And coming to an adoption event at an orphanage is gonna do that?"_

_"Tony, we fund the orphanage. Now shut up."_

_"We fund the orphanage." Tony mocked, rolling his eyes. He grabbed a cup of the strongest drink they had out for the event. Lemonade. He looked around for a free space to sit, and couldn't find anywhere that wasn't occupied, and the only place there was any room to sit at all was on the cement stairs of the orphanage. On the stairs sat a girl with black hair, streaked with blond, typical Malibu tanned skin, shorts and a t-shirt. She had an advanced physics school book in her lap and she seemed to be ignoring the event around her._

_'Ah, what the hell.' _

_Tony sat next to the girl. She barely spared him a glance, crossing her ankles._

_"Advanced Physics?"_

_"Yep." She watched Tony take a sip of the lemonade and smirked. "I see they brought out the strong stuff."_

_Tony chuckled._

_"I guess so. Know if they have anything better?"_

_The girl closed her physics book and stood up, going into the orphanage. Minutes later she set a bottle of bourbon between them._

_"I don't like handing people things," She stated simply. "I also don't like to be handed things."_

_"What a pair. Neither do I." Tony dumped the lemonade, picked up the bottle and watched her read through the book. "Are you even in Advanced Physics?"_

_"Nope." She turned a page. "I don't have the privilage to go to school. I'm the oldest kid in this place. So, I stay and watch the others."_

_"You don't talk like someone that's uneducated."_

_"Oh, believe me, Mr. Stark. I'm the most educated sixteen year old girl you will ever meet. I don't know why or how but once I read something I never forget it. It works for people and books, if you can believe it."_

_"Oh, yeah? Prove it. Tell me everything you know about that woman over there." Tony nodded at Pepper._

_"Well manicured, works an indoor job, judging by the type of shoes she's wearing. Jimmy Choo's, meaning that she works for a very rich person. Personal Assistant, most likely, judging by the PDA practically glued to her hand. And if I had to make an assumption on who she works for, I would say she works for you, Mr. Stark."_

_"Why do you say that?" Tony lifted his bourbon filled lemonade glass to his lips to hide his impressed look._

_"Because, not only did she arrive with you, but the PDA in her hand holds the Stark Industries logo."_

_Tony blinked._

_"You can see that from here?"_

_"Yes, sir."_

_"Just Tony. So, what do I call you?"_

_"Tara. Tara Burnham."_

_Tony suddenly started coughing, choking on the bourbon he'd just tried to swallow._

_"Was your mothers name Sophia?"_

_Tara nodded slowly._

_"She died?"_

_"No, she just didn't want me anymore. Said I reminded her too much of my father."_

_"So he died?"_

_"No. He doesn't even know I exist." She sighed. "My mom left him because he was kind of an ass, and then she never told him she was pregnant."_

_"You said you were sixteen?"_

_"Yes, why?"_

_"Sixteen years and nine months ago, Sophia Burnham left me in the middle of the night with a note saying that she couldn't take it anymore." Tony ran a hand over his face. "Oh my god."_

_Tara said nothing. She watched Tony stand up, cross over to Pepper, grab her hand and have a hurried conversation._

_Pepper glanced over and her eyes widened before she smiled and walked over to Tara._

_"Hi, Tara?" At Tara's nod, she nodded at Tony. "He wants to know if you'd come out and spend the rest of the day with him."_

_Tara shrugged and stood up, brushing off her capris. She stepped forward._

_"Oh, by the way, It's nice to meet you, Ms. Potts."_

_Pepper was stalled by a momentary bout of shock before she smiled and nodded._

_"You too, Tara."_

_Tony spent the rest of that day, and that week, too, getting to know her over lunch, dinner, and walks in the park. He learned that she was just as unique as he was, and she was also a prime candidate for the press. In three days, the story had been printed on every magazine and front page from Malibu to New York. 'Stark's Bastard Child Makes an Appearence.'_

_Tara took it remarkably well. She also took the blood test Tony ordered very well. He was 99% certain already that she was his daughter. That remaining 1% would be cleared by the blood test, hopefully._

_"So, once those tests come in, what do you say I adopt you?" Tony asked, leaning against the door to the room Tara shared with seven other girls much younger than she was and one that was close to her age._

_"Yeah!" She sat up, tossing her book (this time an andvanced Mechanic's book) away from her. "That'd be great! Uh, but...Tony?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"What if the results come back as me not being your daughter?" She looked down._

_"If they come back and you aren't my daughter, then oh well. I'm adopting you anyways. You're a teenager. I actually like you."_

_"Well, what's stopping you from taking me with you now?"_

_"Nothing!" Tony grinned and held up a stack of papers. "Legal documents have all been filled out. Blood tests come back tomorrow, so we might as well just take you now."_

_"Really? Oh, thank you!" In a moment of joy, Tara wrapped her long arms around Tony. Tony stumbled back for a quick second before regaining his balance and hugging her back._

_"Yeah, yeah. Now get off me."_

_Tara laughed and folded her hands behind her back._

_"No, really thanks, dad."_

Tony did all he could, and the Arc Reactor was working correctly. All he could do now was wait. And wait he did.

For two weeks.

He was beginning to give up home when JARVIS alerted him to the fact that Tara was waking up. And she was panicing.

"Tara! Tara, Tara!"

"Dad? Oh my God, what happened?" She ran her fingers over the Reactor in her chest.

"You don't remember?"

Tara shook her head, her eyes wide still with the panic she woke up with.

"You were shot." Tony reminded her. "We don't know by who, or why. But the bullet is lodged in you chest. Here." He pointed to her chest, right above her heart. "It shattered, and the shrapnel was heading for your heart."

"Like you?" Tara placed her hand against Tony's Reactor. He nodded. "Oh, God."

"You'll be fine now. JARVIS?"

"All bodily systems functioning at a normal rate. Recovery time estimated for another two weeks, sir."

"There you have it." Tony nodded. "Stay in bed, troublemaker. I'll have Pepper make you some soup."

"Chicken Noodle?" Tara asked hopefully. Tony grinned softly at his daughter.

"Sure. Chicken Noodle it is."


	2. Chapter 2

**This story will inclede the following movies, so far. Iron Man 2, Thor, and the Avengers. I am also taking requests for the oc's that will be with Bruce, Steve and Thor. Obviously they don't have to be teenagers, seeing as Tara will be somewhere in her twenties when Avengers rolls around. They just have to be younger than the ACTUALL Avengers, preferrably in their twenties. :) They can do anything/have any powers you want them to!  
**

~Two Years Later~

Eighteen year old Tara Stark stood backstage of the Stark Expo, rubbing her chest. Tony, her father, the infamous Iron Man had just begun his speech on stage, but Tara had heard him rehearse it enough times that she knew it by heart.

"Now, from the great beyond, my father, Howard, to tell you what the Stark Expo's all about." Tony let the old movie promo for the Expo play, and came up to his daughter, kissing her cheek.

He grabbed a small device out of her hand, pricking his finger.

"What's it say this time?" She murmered. "The blood toxicity, I mean?"

"19%. Yours?" He shook his hand before grabbing hers, checking the tiny puncture wound.

"Ten percent." She responded, sticking her finger in her mouth. "Dad, are we going to die?"

"I don't know, kiddo. I don't. You only use your suit for the tests, which is why yours is nine percent behind mine. But you still use it, which means the paladium poisoning is still there." Tony glanced behind him as his father's video finished playing. He kissed Tara's cheek again and walked back on stage to finish his speach. Happy then came and got both of them.

"It's like a zoo out there, stay close!" He warned. Tara grinned at all the paparazzi that came to get a look at her father.

Tony was introduced to 'Larry King' who was quite obviously not Larry King, and several other people. They made their way out of the Expo building, and leaning on Tony's expensive care was a woman. Tara cleared her throat and smiled at the woman. Then she pulled on a pair of leather pants on under her dress, zipped up a leather jacket (effectively making it look like she wasn't wearing a dress) and changed shoes before hopping on her motercycle, the helmet of which was equipped with JARVIS.

She snickered as Tony was served with a subpoena.

"Hey, Tare? How far are we from D.C.?"

"D.C.? 250 Miles."

Tony punched on the gas. Tara grinned, tapped the side of the helmet to activate it, and took off after her father and Happy.

~The Next Morning; Washington D.C.~

"Mr. Stark! Can we pick up where we left off?" Senator Stern banged his gavel. Tony was too busy conversing with Pepper to care. "Mr. Stark, Please."

"DAD!"

"Yes, Dear?" Tony turned around to face Tara. The crowd behind them laughed.

"Can I have your attention?" Stern demanded.

"Absolutely." Tony nodded, slinging an arm across his daughter's chair.

"Do you, or do you not both possess specialized weapons?"

"We do not."

"You do not?"

"We do not. Well it depends on how you define the word 'weapon'."

"The Iron Man and Iron Girl Weapons."

"Those devices do not fit that description." Tony became vaguely serious.

"Well how would you describe it?" Stern snapped.

"I would describe it by defining it as what it is, senator." Tara leaned forward, crossing her legs, once again wearing her dress. Her leather riding clothes were folded carefully in Pepper's lap.

"As?"

"Well, it's a- Mmm- they're both high tech prostetics."

Again, the crowd behind the Starks laughed.

"Actually, that's the most apt description we could possibly make of it." Tony shrugged.

"It's a weapon. It's a weapon, Stark." Stern was now addressing both of them, dropping any honorific he'd been using before. "I hate to inform you, it's a weapon."

"Please, if your priority was actually the well-being of the American citizen-"

"My priority is to get the Iron Man-slash-Girl weapons turned over to the people of the United States of America."

Tara rolled her eyes, leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.

"Well, you can forget it." Tony glanced at Tara for her input.

"We are the Iron Guardians. To turn over the suits would be to turn over ourselves which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you're in. You can't have them."

"Look, I'm not expert-"

"In prostitution? No, of course not. You're a Senator, come on." Tony grinned at the people behind him, giving them the peace sign. He caught sight of Pepper's frowning face.

"I'm no expert in weapons."" Stern continued, loosening his tie. "But we have someone who is. I would now like to call Justin Hammer, out current primary weapons contractor."

"Let the record reflect that I observed Mr. Hammer entering the chamber and I am wondering if and when any _actual_ expert will also be in attendence."

Several 'oooh's went through the audience, as Tara chuckled, glancing over at Hammer.

"Absolutely. I'm no expert. I defer to you, Anthony."

Tara's eyes widened at the use of her father's full name. Pepper, after all, was the only one who could get away with calling either of them by their full first names. Anthony or Taralynn.

"You're the wonder boy. And your the heir to your legacy, Taralynn is the wonder girl. Senator, I may not be an expert. But you know who was the expert? Your dad! Howard Stark. Really a father to us all, and to the industrial age. Let's just be clear. He was no flower child. He was a lion. Lets all be clear. In the last twenty four months, Anthony has created a sword, and in the last six months, his daughter has created one as well, and they insist these swords are shields. They ask us to trust them as they cower behind them. I wish I were comforted, I really do. I'd love to leave my door unlocked when I leave my house. But this ain't Canada."

"Canada?" Tara murmered, leaning towards her father. He shrugged.

"You know we live in a world of grave threats. Threats that the Starks will not always be able to foresee. Thank you. God bless Iron Man, God bless America." Hammer sat down.

"That is well said, Mr. Hammer. The Committie would now like to invite Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber."

"Rhodey?" Tony sat up straighter. "What?" He sat up and went to shake his friends hand.

"What are you doing here?" Tara hissed as Rhodey sat next to her. He shook his head.

"It's me, I'm here. Deal with it and move on."

"Point taken."

"I have before me a complete report on the Iron Man weapon, compiled by Colonel Rhodes, and Colonel, can you read page 57 paragraph four please?"

"You're requesting that he read specific sections from his report, senator?" Tara asked.

"Yes, Miss Stark, I am."

"It-It was my understanding that I was going to be testifying in a much more detailed and comprehensive mannor." Rhodey explained.

"I understand. A lot of things have changed today."

"You do understand that reading a single page out of context does not reflect the summary of his final-"

"Just read it, please." Stern cut Tara off.

"Very well." Rhodey took a deep breath. " 'As they do not operate within any definable branch of government, the Iron Guardians present a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to her intrests.' "

Tara rolled her eyes.

"I've read this report, Senator, and Colonel Rhodes does go on to summerize that the benefits of the Iron Guardians far outweigh the liabilities."

"That's enough."

"I'm not a joiner, but I'll consider Secretary of Defence. If you ask nice."

"I'd like to go on and show the imagery that is connected to your report."

"I believe it's somewhat premature to show these images." Rhodey warned.

"I understand." The Senator placed a hand on his chest, smirking from his seat. "If you could just narrate those for us, I'd be very greatful."

The images played.

"Intelligence suggest that the devices seen in these photo's are in fact attempts at making manned copies of the Starks' suits." As Rhodey was speaking, Tony caught his daughter's eye and nodded at the screen. Tara grinned and pulled her phone out under the table. She tuned Rhodey out as she began hacking into the sattlite projecting the images into the room.

"Hold on a sec, Rhodey." She held her phone up in front of the screen, the images visible through the thin panel of indestructable glass that made up the phone. "God, I'm good. I commendeered your screens. I need 'em. Time for a little transparancey."

"What is she doing?" Stern demanded. The screen read 'Welcome Miss Stark, followed by a data code only she could read.

"If you would direct your attention to said screens-" Tony began his comeback, waiting for Tara to take down her hack code. A map and landscape popped up. "I believe that's North Korea." They watched the Suit malfunction and kill people. "Iran" Hammer got up and tried to turn off the screen. "No grave immediate threat here." Hammer appeared on-screen, yelling at the failed attempt. "Is that Justin Hammer? How did Hammer get in the game?"

"Justin you're on TV, focus up!" Tara commanded, watching as the tester twisted, and a scream came from within the suit. Tara dropped the hack and the TV shut off. She slipped her phone into her pocket with a grin.

"I'd say most countries, five or 10 years away. Hammer Industries, 20."

"I'd like to point out that that test pilot lived..."

"I don't get the point of that!" Stern snapped.

"Point is, you're welcome, I guess."

"For what."

"We are your nuclear deterrent." Tony replied. "It's working. We're safe. America is secure. You want my property, you can't have it! But I did you a big favor!"

"We have successfully privatized world peace." Tara announced, standing up. Tony gave everyone peace signs. "What more do you want? We tried to play ball with these ass-clowns!"

"Oh, Fuck you Stark. Fuck you."

"Well," Tara stated when they walked out of the court house. "That was fun."


	3. Chapter 3

Tara clapped twice. The garage turned lab lit up around her.

"Wake up, Sissy's home!"

"Welcome home, Miss. Congradulations on the Senate hearing, it was such a success. And may I say it is so refreshing to see your father with his clothing on, miss." JARVIS greeted.

"YOU!" Tony snapped, pointing at Dummy as he walked into the room. The robotic arm had mad a mess of the chlorophyll protine liquid that both Tony and Tara had to drink. "I swear to God, I'll dismantle you, I'll soak your motherboard. I'll turn you into a wine rack."

"So how many ounces of this gobbledegook are we supposed to drink?" Tara asked JARVIS, pouring a glass of the chlorophyll.

"We are up to 40 ounces a day to counteract the symptoms, miss. 80, for your father."

"Check Paladium levels." Tony requested, pricking his finger once more on the scanner.

"Blood Toxicity 24%." JARVIS informed.

"Dad, your continued use of the Iron Man suit is accelerating your condition." Tara sat in the seat specifically installed for her. It was one of those hanging bubble chairs. It had JARVIS's interfaces installed into it as well.

"You have depleted another paladium core." JARVIS added.

"We've run simulations on every known element, and none of them serve as a viable replacement for the paladium core." Tara watched Tony change his core. " The devices that are keeping us alive are killing us, dad."

"Ms. Potts is approaching. I reccoment that you inform her-"

"Mute." Tony ordered quickly. JARVIS's voice stopped in it's tracks.

Pepper tapped her access code into the interface on the glass wall next to the equally glass door. She stormed in, glaring at Tony.

"Uh-oh." Tara muttered, pulling the holographic interface from the side of her chair to in front of her. She worked on a portable suit idea while watching Pepper yell at Tony.

"Is this a joke?"

Tony snapped his fingers. More lights than just the blue glow of the interfaces came on.

"What are you thinking?" Pepper demanded

"What?"

"What are you thinking?" She repeated.

"Hey! I'm thinking that I'm busy. And you're angry about something. Do you have the sniffles? I don't wanna get sick."

"Did you just donate our entire modern art collection to...to the..."

"Boy Scouts of America."

"BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. Tara, hun, can you do me a favor and..."

"Go to my room?"

"Please."

"Kay." She crushed her hands over the hologram of the portable suit, minimizing it. She flicked it to the left watching it save itself on the interface before the entire chair went to its normal clear appearance.

She grinned as she heard Pepper's shouts follow her up the stairs, through the glass wall. Tony was in trouble. She knew about his plans to make Pepper CEO, until the time that _she_ was capable of running the company at 25. Though, truth be told, she probably wouldn't.

The next day, while Tony was boxing with Happy in the work out room. Tara was on the Tredmill in the corner, listening to her music. She didn't notice the notary walk in or her father begin pretty much fucking said notary with his eyes. She did, however, notice when a boxing glove came flying at her. She caught it in one hand, the other stopping the tredmill.

"What?" She whined, pulling out her earbuds.

"Fight her." Tony nodded at a pretty red haired, green eyed woman.

"Kay. Wait, why?" Tara reached a hand out to the woman after she climbed into the ring. "Tara Stark."

"Natalie Rushman." The woman shook Tara's hand.

Tara's eyes scanned for any outward signs of lying, something she did with all new people. The only sign was that she blinked when she said it. It could have been a coincidence, but Tara noted it as a possible tell.

"Just give her a lesson. Happy, come on, get out of the ring." Tony himself left the ring before sitting next to Pepper.

"You ever boxed before?" Tara asked innocently as Happy slowly stood up from his spot where Tony had knocked him over during their fight.

"I have, yes." Natalie smiled.

"What, like Tae Bo? Booty Boot Camp? Camp? Something like that?" Happy asked as he checked Natalie out. Tara grinned and swiftly punched Happy in the padded helmet that protected his face.

"Ow!" He grabbed his face and stumbled off the ring, fliping over the ropes on accident.

"How do I spell your name, Natalie?" Tony called, clapping his hands to activate the Interface on the glass table next to him.

"R-U-S-H-M-A-N."

"Alright got it. Fight. Now please."

Both girls circled each other slowly. Natalie threw the first punch, Tara dodged. Each consecutive series of punches that Natalie threw, Tara gave a series of blocks before cuffing the other woman playfully in the ear. It was obvious that Natalie Rushman wasn't just someone who did documents and signed companies over.

Natalie was also obviously holding back. But then again, so was Tara.

"That's enough, girls!" Tony called. Natalie looked back at him. Happy chose this time to try and give a lesson. He gently pushed his fist forward.

"Rule number one, never take your eye-"

Natalie grabbed Happy's wrist, flipped him over onto the ground and pinned him.

"OH, HELL YEAH!" Tara grinned.

"OH MY GOD! Happy!" Pepper cried.

"That's what I'm talking about."

Natalie let Happy up, accepting Tara's hand to help her up.

"I just slipped." Happy groaned.

"Did you?" Tara kicked the bell at the side of the ring. "Cuz that looked like a TKO to me."

"I just need your impression, Mr. Stark." Natalie stated after she climbed out of the ring to put her shoes back on.

"You have a quiet reserve. I don't know, you have an old soul-"

"Your fingerprint, ass-hole." Tara grabbed a water bottle filled with chlorophyll.

"Right."

Natalie grinned and opened up the file.

"So, how are we doing?" Pepper glanced up at Tara and then at Tony and Natalie.

"Great. Just wrapping up. Hey." He pointed at his thumb print. "You're the boss."

"Will that be all Mr. Stark?"

"NO!"

"Yes, that will be all, Ms. Rushman, thank you very much." Pepper corrected.

Natalie smiled and walked away.

"I want one." Tony stated instantly.

"No." Pepper shook her head.

"Oh, Hey, JARVIS, LOCK THE DOORS!" Tara suddenly remembered something.

The distinct beeping of the computer complying to her will sounded throughout the house.

She caught up with Natalie at the front door.

"Your doing?"

"Yeah. So what's your angle?"

"Angle?"

"Obviously, you aren't just a notary. So, whats your angle?"

Natalie dropped her sweet demenor.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Alright, I'll accept that. At least tell me your real name."

'Natalie' paused. She seemed to be listening to something.

"Come with me."

"JARVIS, open the doors." The beeping sounded once again, and the door opened. "After you."

She followed 'Natalie' to a black car in the street. She got in after the red haired imposter.

"Hello, Miss Stark." A man with dark skin and an eyepatch said to her. He was dressed entirely in black, from the eyepatch to the boots on his feet.

"Ah." She nodded. "Nick Fury."

"Tony speaks of me, I see."

"Not the most impressive of information. Tony's a sucker for some good gossip."

"You can't inform him that we're watching, of course."

"Wouldn't dream of it. I just don't like being left out of the loop. That's why my particular ability of reading people comes in handy. It keeps me in said loop."

"Speaking of your ability, that's something besides Tony that put you on our radar. That and your hacking abilities." Fury bridged his hands in front of his face. Tara's phone beeped in her shoe. She kept it there when she worked out. She smirked when she read the text.

"Tony wants Natalie to be his new assistant."

"It's Natasha. Romanoff." The red-head replied.

"Pleasure."

Natasha nodded.

"Looking forward to work with you." She smirked.


	4. Chapter 4

Within the next few days, Tara's prototype for the portable Iron Girl suit was finished. It was a belt, gold, with a heart as the belt buckle. A heart, because that's the shape Tony used over her reactor on the armor he'd made for her birthday last year. The color on the prototype was different from Tony's traditional red and gold color scheme, although she'd always be partial to it.

This prototype was colored sky blue and violet purple, with a silver face plate, upper chest plate, and the plates over her stomach.

It was activated by her ring, which was also heart shaped.

Also within the next few days, they arrived in Monaco for the racing thing that Tara didn't give two shits about.

"You know, it's Europe, whatever happens in the next twenty minutes, just go with it." Tony told Tara and Pepper as the walked into the Hotel De Paris.

"Go with it?" Pepper repeated. "Go with _what_?"

"Mr, Stark?" Natasha, posing once again as Natalie, walked up.

"Hey!"

"Hello. How was your flight?" She glanced at Tara.

"It was excellent. Boy, it's nice to see you." Tony smiled.

"We have one photographer from the ACM, do you mind?" Natasha pulled the drinks Tony was grabbing out of his reach. "Okay."

Tony and Pepper bickered about Natasha- Sorry _Natalie_- being there, each with a hand on Tara's shoulder as they stood behind her for the picture.

She followed Natasha around for a while.

"He's gonna do something stupid." Tara announced after taking her blood toxicity level.

"How do you know that?"

"My blood toxicity level is 44. That means dad's is 53 ergo, gonna do something stupid."

"Something stupid like...Maybe that?"

Tara turned around and faced a television. On screen her father was in a race suit, preparing to drive in the race.

"Wha-What?" Tara gaped. "Yea, something like that!"

Pepper called them over and demanded to know what he was doing.

"Natalie, where's Happy?"

"He's waiting outside."

"Okay, get him, I need Happy."

"Right away." Natasha walked away quickly, while Pepper and Tara both panicked in their own ways when the race began. That panic increased when a man stepped onto the track and walked in a straight line towards cars. He ripped his shirt open, revealing an arc reactor much like those that the Starks had. He sliced his way through the oncoming cars.

Pepper nudged Tara, nodding to the door. Happy stood there, red and silver suitcase in one hand, and her belt in the other. Tara raced towards him, putting the belt on and running her ring across the interface on the heart. The belt began expanding and transforming, violet, silver and sky blue metal encased the teenagers body. Once the helmet was completely on, the holographic HUD appeared.

"JARVIS, show me dad!" Tara announced as she lifted off the ground.

The correct video began playing. The man had sliced Tony's car in half, luckily Tony was okay for now. He was on the ground, he was bleeding, but he was alive. It took her less than two minutes to land on the track between her father and the man who had it out for him.

"Uh-uh." She wagged her finger at the man. "That's not nice."

The man began spinning his repulsor whips. Tara got ready.

"Tara," Tony's voice came through her helmet, from the earbud he always kept on him. "See the car next to me?"

"Sure do pops."

"Gas. Time for lift off, I say."

"Right." Tara did three back flips, landing next to Tony. On the beginning of the fourth back flip, Tony ran and Tara activated both the repulsors on her hands, setting off an explosion that nearly stopped the man in his tracks.

Then Happy and Pepper came out of nowhere, slamming their car into the man. He was knocked out.

"Are you okay?" Happy asked, loudly. Pepper was panicking in the back seat of the car. She and Tony began shouting at each other. The man woke up in the middle of the argument, and sliced the car door in half when Tony tried to get in. This just caused Happy to continue to ram the car into the man. When Happy paused, the man sliced the car down the middle, then the sides.

"Give me the case!" Tony urged. "Please! Hurry!"

Pepper threw the case out of the car. Tony stopped it with his foot, kicking it so it would open. He stuck his hands in the handles and the transformation began.

While the man was distracted by Tony's transformation, Tara kicked the car away so Happy and Pepper would be safer. Tony began to fight the man, but the repulsor chords kept canceling out his repulsor blasts. The chords wrapped around Tony, forcing him down to his knees.

Tara finally realized this, and grabbed a fistful of the whip. It sizzled dangerously in her hand, but she wrapped it twice more around her fist and gave a hard tug. It didn't come out of the man's grasp, but it did pull him closer and it gave Tony time to recover. Together, they coiled up the chord and punched the man in the stomach, twice. Tony pulled the arc reactor from it's harness on the mans chest, and the man fell to his knees. The crowd around them burst into cheers.

Tara shook her head and ran her ring once more across the heart, though the heart was now on her chest plate. The transformation reversed itself, turning back into the belt slung haphazzardly across her hips.

She waited patiently with Pepper and Happy while Tony went to talk to the man. Natasha walked up.

"You alright?"

Tara nodded, walking a short distance with the woman.

"Will be, who is he?"

"He's the son of Anoton Vanko. Heard of him?"

"Worked with Grandpa Stark after the Super Soldier program, correct?"

"That's right." Natasha nodded. "This is bad. It's our job to keep you safe but after this? It means we'll have to double security around your house. That means JARVIS needs to be brought in so he doesn't alert Tony to any unknown presances around the premisis."

"Alright. I'll set in the override code when we get back."

But before she started doing that, she and Tony had to help each other get down the stairs into the lab.

Tony had JARVIS run a search on Anton Vanko, as he sat in his hot rod turned interface, and Tara sat in her bubble chair, laying down inside it and closing her eyes.

"Anton Vanko was a Russian Physicist who defected to the United Stated in 1963, however, he was accused of espionage and deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling soviet-era weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan and served 13 years in Kopeisk Prison. No further records exist.

Tara opened her eyes slightly as Rhodey came in. This reminded her to set in the override code. She groaned and raised her hand, barely able to set in the code, but she managed it.

"I've been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to keep them from taking the suits."

"They can't have the suits, Rhodey," Tara groaned again, stumbling up onto her feet. "They're ours." She continued to stumble up the stairs, passed Pepper and Natasha (who quickly excused herself to follow the girl) and up the stairs to the bedrooms.

She crashed in the hall, Natasha was right there to catch her.

"Hey, hey!" She lowered her to the ground. She placed a hand to her ear. "Clint, second floor, third window wall on the right, don't break anything, but get _in_ here."

In a few seconds, through her blurry, paladium poisoned state, Tara saw a man who seemed to be an angel. He picked her up and carried her to the room he'd just come from- hers.

He lay her down on her bed, glancing back at Natasha.

"What now?"

"Sorry to do this to either of you, but her shirt needs to come out. JARVIS, I hope you recognize that I'm trying to help Tara here, can you tell me where she keeps her paladium?"

"The jewlery box."

Natasha wasted no more time in opening the box, pulling out a paladium cartridge. Clint's fingers moved swiftly, unbuttoning Tara's shirt. He paused over the reactor, not knowing what to do now. Tara moved his hand away, pulling the first part of the reactor out, and handing it to him. He grabbed the fresh paladium from Natasha, and switched the smoking one out, before handing it back to Tara. The two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watched her replace it and then sigh with relief.

"Thank you."

"Like I said, it's our job to protect you." Natasha smiled. "More specifically, it's his." She jerked her head at the man.

"Clint Barton, A.K.A. Hawkeye." He turned his head away from her after shaking her hand. "You should fix your shirt."

Tara rolled her eyes but buttoned the shirt up anyways. Natasha handed her a glass of chlorophyll.

"Thanks." She murmured. Natasha nodded and walked out of the room.

"Get some sleep before Stark's birthday. I'll watch from here."

"In a purely not creepy way?"

Clint smirked. He stood by the wall of windows for three hours, glancing around the room, glancing around the landscape, nothing on this side of the mansion escaping his view.

Natasha ordered him to wake her up when the music started.

"Tara." He shook her gently by the hip. "You have to wake up."

"Stark is wasted, I think you're fine to come down here with her. Ask JARVIS for some good clothes." Natasha told him quietly through the earbud. "I think I'll need you down here for when shit hits the fan anyways."

"Tara, wake _up_." Clint did the only thing he could think of. He smacked an eighteen year old girl in the ass. Tara yelped, cuffing him in the ear with her first, even as he caught her forearm. "Jesus!"

Tara exhaled softly and relaxed.

"Sorry, you smacked my ass."

"You wouldn't wake up!" Clint defended.

"I'm a heavy sleeper."

"Just...Get dressed." Clint sighed, helping her out of bed.

Tara got dressed in her walk in closet, letting Clint go in with a suit she had from an ex-boyfriend. A mirror showed up on the window looking over the cliffs and ocean. Clint appeared behind her as she was running a brush through her hair, now choppy layers with a single blonde streak going down the left side.

"What a picture we make." He grinned, fixing a red tie shirt that matched the dress she was wearing.

"Hmm." Tara let a small smile slip.

"Come on. Your father's downstairs making a fool of himself."

Clint and Tara arrived downstairs just in time to see Tony start to blow stuff up. Clint's arm circled around Tara's back and he covered her from the falling debris.

"Uh-oh." Tara noticed Rhodey heading for the lab and slipped under Clint's arm to follow him. "Rhodey, what are you doing?"

"I'm shutting him down." He tapped in his code to get in.

"Rhodey, you can't. You can't take one of the suits!"

"Be QUIET, Tara. Be happy I'm not taking all of them, and especially not yours."

"Well why not, huh?" Tara looked up at him with wide eyes. "Why not one of mine?"

"Because you don't act like that!" Rhodey pointed at the ceiling. "Now get out!"

Tara went up the stairs again and grabbed her belt on the way up. If a fight was about to go down, Tara would try to stop it.

"Dad!" Tara snapped, putting on the belt as Tony blew up a watermellon. "Dad come on, stop! Please?"

"You," Tony slurred, pointing at her. "You little miss are grounded!"

The crowed laughed, just as drunk as Tony.

"I'm only gonna say this once!" Rhodey announced, standing in the middle of the room with the War Machine Armor on. "Get out!" The face plate slid down and everone scattered. Tara activated her armor, standing in front of her father.

Oh, yeah, a fight was about to go down.


	5. Chapter 5

**So, no OC needed for Thor. That one got taken by tonksie1234! You go girl!**

"You don't deserve to wear one of these, Tony. Shut it down!" He looked at Tara. "Get out of the way Tare!"

"Goldstien." Tony said into the mic. The DJ, Adam Goldstien, personal friend of Tara, popped up from his hiding place.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy's ass to!" Tony laughed.

"Come on, Adam, don't do that!"

Adam ignored his friend and played Another One Bites the Dust. Tony shrugged before Rhodey pushed against Tara's head, sending her through the window. She squealed and activated her flight systems, flying back into the house just as Tony and Rhodey broke through the floor of the gym back into the party room.

"Happy! Get Pepper out of here! Clint, Nat, I would probably call the boss right about now!"

Happy, Clint and Natasha both followed the orders they were given, seeing as Tara was the only completely rational person wearing an Iron Suit at the moment.

Tony, no matter how drunk he was, still managed to give Rhodey a beat down. He looked at Tara, and the crowd cowering behind her, and he roared. Everyone except for Tara fled in terror.

Rhodey stood up and slammed the kitchen sink into Tony. He landed in the fire place, an explosion following his face plant. He pulled out and raised his hand at Rhodey. Rhodey put his hand up too, both repulsors activating.

"Put your hands down," Tara ordered gently, standing between them, a hand out at each of them, her own repulsors firing up.

"You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?" Tony mocked Rhodey.

"Dad, right about now, neither of you have what it takes."

"She's right. We don't have to do this, Tony."

"You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot."

"Put them down!" Tara snapped.

"You gonna take the shot?"

"Put it down!"

"NO!"

"DROP IT DAD!"

"TAKE IT!"

Tara closed her eyes, and fired both repulsors. The resulting explosions from the double collisions made the other two fly back, but Tara managed to stay on her feet. Tara looked at Rhodey as he stood. He looked at her too.

"I'm sorry." He looked away and took off, flying to some unknown destination.

"JARVIS. Cut off communications, but not navigations, control or power."

"Yes, Miss Stark."

Tony stood up.

"I want some donuts."

"Fucking fat ass. Sir-I-Must-Eat-My-Troubles-Away."

Tara, despite her complaints, let her suit drop back into the belt that clashed oddly with her dress and drove her Iron Man clad father to Randy's Donuts. Once geting his box of dozen, he promptly flew to the donut on the top of the shop. Tara sighed and sat on the dumpsters and waited for Fury to get there. She dozed off while waiting.

A tap on her knee woke her up.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to exit the donut!" Fury demanded, helping Tony's teen daughter off the dumpster. They walked inside and waited for Tony (Still in Iron Man attire) to get inside.

"Fury, I told you, I don't want to join your super secret boy band."

"No, I remember, you do everything yourself." Fury raised a cup of coffee to his lips. "Including let your best friend nearly kill your daughter."

"Huh?"

"Colonel Rhodes threw Tara out of a window las night."

"...Huh...?"

Tara rolled her eyes.

"You were blacked out on your feet drunk, Dad. Chill."

Natasha waled up to the table.

"We've secured the perimeter, but I don't think we should hold it for much longer."

"Huh." Tony's eyes became wider. "You're...Fired."

"That's not up to you, Dad. It's up to me and more over, up to Fury." Tara grinned. "Quite personally, I like her. Meet Agent Romanoff."

"Hi."

"I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. shadow. Once we knew you were ill I was tasked to you by Directer Fury."

"I suggest you apologize." Tony rubbed his head.

"Dad, you've been busy. You made Pepper your CEO, you're giving away all your stuff, you let Rhodey fly away with the suit."

"SO DID YOU! Besides, I didn't let him do anything! He took it! You saw!"

"I saw you fully conscious and ignoring the fact that he took your suit. Which, by the way, is your responsibility, not mine."

"Is it possible for the guy to just walk in there, kick his ass and take his suit?"

"Well according to Mr. Stark's database security guidelines there are redundancies to prevent unauthorized usage." Natasha crossed her arms before kicking Tara under the table and nodding out the window. Clint stood there, in his S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, with his back to the window, watching out for any sign of danger. Tara grinned. Natasha stood.

"What do you want from me?"

"What do we want from you?" Fury replied, scoffing. "No. What do you want from me?"

"Dad, admit it. We've become a problem, and S.H.I.E.L.D. has to deal with it." Tara leaned over and placed her back against the window where Clint still was.

"Contrary to your belief, you are not the center of my universe, Tony. I have bigger problems than you in the South West reigon to deal with!" He snapped as Natasha came back, a vaccine in hand. She injected it into Tony and they watched the paladium poisoning get reduced.

"There, he's stabalized. Tara? Now or later?"

"Later, please." Tara shook her head and backed away as far as the window allowed. "Not good with needles."

"What did she just do to me?" Tony demanded.

"What did we just do _for_ you."

"It's Lithium Dioxide." Tara stated. "It'll take the edge off so we can get back to work finding a substitute for this." She tapped the reactor in his chest plate, hers not currently visible.

"Give me a couple of boxes of that and we'll be right as rain."

"Its not a cure. Just abates the systems." Natasha denied.

"It's not gonna be an easy fix," Tara pulled the front of her dress down a little to show a similar "hi-tech crossword puzzle" very slowly climbing its way up her neck.

A knock on the window made her look up at Clint. He mouthed the words 'come take it now,' at her. She rolled her eyes and stood up, moving away from the table and outside. Clint met her halfway, needle in hand. Tara winced.

"Relax." He put one hand on the side of her neck he wasn't going to inject the Dioxide in. "Promise it won't hurt much."

"Oh, yeah? You promise?"

"Yeah," Clint smirked, dragging the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip, watching as her lips parted slightly at the touch. "I do."

He quickly injected the vaccine the next time she spoke.

"What makes you so sure?"

He grinned and leaned closer to her, tugging on her earlobe with his lips and reveling in the shudder he caused.

"I'm good at distracting troublesome patients."

Tara blinked and blushed, realising what had happened.. She opened the door and walked back in, clearing her throat.

"So are we gonna get going?" She murmured.

They arrived back at the destroyed house, and Tara groaned upon finding bits and pieces of her favorite things on the ground.

"I'll buy you a new one." Tony sighed. "Your room should be fine. Go upstairs and take a nap. You- bow boy, look after her."

"Bow Boy?" Clint repeated as he followed Tara up the stairs. She smiled.

"It's his way of saying he approves of you. Normally I'm the one to come up with the bad nicknames."

Clint fell back onto Tara's bed. She walked into the bathroom attached to her bedroom and began putting on her sleep clothes.

"So, we've disabled all communications. No contact with the ousside world." Clint called in to her.

"Oh, yeah?" Tara shuffled out of the bathroom wearing short-shorts and a camisole. She grabbed a paladium cartridge and changed the old one, just in case. Clint watched her with interest. "Dad'll love that. He'll also love this."

"Love what?" Clint asked suspiciously. Tara grinned and gumpped on the bed, pinning the Archer down before he could get out of the way. "Tara..."

She slid her knee between his legs, which had spread to accomodate her body on top of his. The action effectively silenced him.

"Hey, you turned me on and left me hanging." She shrugged, laying her head down. "I'm eighteen. I'm a Stark. I can do whatever the fuck I want to get back at you."

Clint let out a loud sigh and let his head fall back. Tara nuzzled into his neck, kissing gently before closing her eyes.

"Sweet dreams, Barton."

"I might not still be here when you wake up."

"Sweet dreams, I said."

Clint allowed himself to smile before closing his eyes. He fell asleep still pinned between the girl, her fingers lightly circling his wrists, her knee rubbing against him. They both knew, if he wanted to get her off him, he would. He didn't want to.


	6. Chapter 6

Clint was gone when Tony bardged into her room.

"Where's Bow Boy?"

"Uh..." Tara picked up a note on her bedside table. " 'Thanks for a hard night. Had to do perimeter check. Back soon.' He went to go check the perimeter."

"Well, we're gonna break it, sorry."

"Us?"

"Us."

"We're gonna break the perimeter, set up by a super secret organization. An organization which probably tagged one of us, so they know where we are at all times?"

"...Yup!"

Tara blinked.

"Kay." She hopped up and ran into the bathroom to go change. They got into Tony's '08 Spyder, and took off towards Stark Industries. Along the way, Tony stopped and got Pepper some strawberries, which Tara ate, because Pepper is allergic to strawberries.

Tara was allowed to walk in and do as she wished. Meaning she waltzed into Pepper's office and asked the first thing she thought of.

"Are you okay?"

Pepper nodded, but held her hand up, talking on the phone. Tony walked in too, looking at how Pepper's take over had changed his office.

Tony muted the television as the newscastor began bashing Pepper, and saying stuff like "The only reliable Stark in this century has to be Tara Stark, and she's EIGHTEEN, people."

Pepper argued with whoever she was on the phone with. Then when she hung up, Tony sat down.

"Have a minute?" He asked.

"No."

"Come on, you just got off the phone, you're fine!" Tony got as close to begging as he ever would. "Come on, 30 seconds."

Pepper and Tara both looked at their watches.

"Twenty-Nine. Twenty-Eight."

"I was just driving over here, and I thought I was basically coming to apologize, but I'm not."

"Wait...You didn't come here to apologize?" Pepper crossed her arms and glared at Tony.

"Look, that goes without saying, and I'm working on that. But I haven't been entirely upfront with you, and I want to try to make good. Can we move this? This is crazy!" Tony gestured to the moving statue on Pepper's desk. The woman shook her head. Tony sighed and slid his chair over, away from the statue. "Do you know how short life is? And I never got to express... and by the way, this is somewhat revelatory for me. And I don't care...I mean, I care. It would be nice. I'm not expecting you to... Look, here's what I'm trying to say, I'm just gonna say it."

"Let me just stop you there." Pepper snapped. "Because here's the thing. If you say 'I' one more time, I'm going to actually, hurl something at your head, I think. I am trying to run a company. Do you have any idea what that entails? People rely on you to be Iron Man and you disappeared, and you drag your daughter with you! I am trying to do the job that you were meant to do...Did you bring me strawberries?"

"Yup." Tara reached over and grabbed the last one out of the box. "He totally did."

"Did you know that there's only one thing on Earth that I'm Allergic to?"

"Strawberries."

"Why do you think Tara ate almost all of them before you got here?" Pepper demanded. "I need you..."

"I need you too, that's why-"

"To leave now."

Tony was stunned silent. Tara grinned and walked over to the sink in the office bathroom. The door walked in and Happy and Natasha walked in.

"Hey, Nat! Hey, Happy!" Tara waved, before sticking her hands under the water to wash off the berry juice.

Both smiled.

"Miss Potts?"

"Yes?"

"Wheels up in 25 minutes." Natalie informed, glaring at Tony as she passed.

"Anything else, boss?"

"No I'm good Hap."

"No, I'll be just a minute." Pepper glared at Tony as well.

"So I lost two outta three kids in the devorce?"

Tara cleared her throat, and Happy shook his head.

"I thought the two of you didn't get along!" Tony looked between Natalie and Pepper.

"So not true." Tara went to stand by the door.

"So it's just me you don't care for?" Tony got no response. "No? Nothing?"

"Actually, while you're here, you and Natalie can discuss the matter of the personal belongings."

"Absolutely," Natasha nodded.

Pepper walked out of the room, and Happy followed.

"Bye, guys! And Pepper?" The red head turned to fact the teen. "I really am sorry about that party fiasco."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault." She glanced at Tony. They waited until Pepper was out of the room for Natasha to drop the Natalie persona.

"I'm surprised you can keep your mouth shut!"?

"Boy, you are good. You are mind blowingly duplicitious. How do you do it? Is there anything real about you? Do you even speak Latin?"

"Fallaces sunt rerum species." Natasha murmured, walking away.

"What does that mean?"

She turned back around.

"It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected."

"It means you can drive yourself home or I can have you collected."

"No it doesn't!" Tara whined. "Thats not even a full sentence!"

There was a full moment of silence after Natasha slammed the door before-

"Hey, dad?"

"What?" He snapped.

"We should take that home." Tara pointed at the large sky view of the old Stark Expo exhibit.

"Why?"

"The key to the future?" She shrugged. Tony looked at the exhibit for a few minutes, before also shrugging. They tied it onto the back of the Audi and drove it all the way back home.

As soon as they got home, Tony set Tara to work on whatever she had seen in the model of the Expo, while he went to wallow in the corner of self pity.

"JARVIS, can you kindly Vac-U-Form a digital wire form. I need a maniputable projection."

Tara waited a few seconds, impatiently shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"1974 Stark Expo model scan complete, Miss."

Tara placed her hands under the edge of the projection and lifted it up, turning it around to place it in the middle of the room.

"Uh, how many buildings are there?"

"Am I to include the Belgian waffle stands?"

"You know what? It was a rhetorical question just show me." She paused and snapped her fingers, making the hologram spin. In mid-spin it went vertical in the air. "JARVIS, what does that look like to you? Not unlike an atom."

"An atom, Miss?"

Tara tilted her head to the side.

"In which case the nucleus would be here." Tara pointed at the large globe in the center of model. "Highlight the Unisphere, please."

The globe in the center lit up an orange-ish color. Tara spun her finger, making the globe turn, and then expanded her hands to make the globe larger. She sighed.

"Loose the footpaths. Get rid of them."

"What is it you're trying to achieve, Miss?"

"I'm discovering -sorry- rediscovering a new element. I think."

Tony's head shot up from his chair in the corner.

"Sorry, what?"

She turned and glared at him, growled under her breath, and then turned and continued what she was doing.

"Loose the landscaping, the shrubbery, the trees. Parking lots, exits, entrences. Structure the Protons ans Neutrons using the pavillions as framework." Tara ran a hand down her face and crossed her arms as JARVIS complied to her commands.

"Tara?"

"Shhh!"

Tony grumbled, iritated. Tara brought her hands all the way down to her sides before raising them quickly in the air. The atom expanded around the Starks.

"Jesus," Tony exaled slowly. "Eighteen years old and you're taking me to school."

"JARVIS?" Tara handed the holographic element to Tony.

"The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for paladium."

"Thanks, Tare."

"Thank your dad." Tara grinned up at Tony.

"Unfortunately it is impossible to synthesize."

Dummy snapped his pincers. Tara continued to stare at her father, her grin widening.

"Get ready for a major remodel, fella's we're going into hardware mode."

"You do that. I made the element! You do this shit!" Tara demanded, running out the door and up the the stairs.

It took three days for Coulson to figure out that Tony and Tara broke the perimeter. Clint had figured it out before they'd even arrived back, but he appearently hadn't said anything.

"I heard you broke perimeter."

Tara looked up when Coulson walked into the lab. Tony was busy demolishing the house and creating things to synthesize the new element. Currently he was trying to build a giant coil.

"Yeah, that was like, three years ago. Where you been?" Tony snarked.

"I was doing some stuff."

"Yeah? Me too, and it worked. I'm playing for the team Coulson. You and all your Furry Freak Brothers. You gonna let me work or bust my balls?"

"What is this doing here?"

Coulson lifted up a shield that was red, white and blue, with a half a star in the center.

"That's it!"

"You know what this is?"

"It's exactly what I need to make this work!" Tony grabbed the shield. Tara sat up in her bubble chair with intrest. Tony had Coulson lift the coil while he placed the shield under the coil. Then he measured it. "Perfectly level!"

Tara rolled her eyes.

"Coulson, what's up?"

"Nothing. Goodbye. I've been reassigned. New Mexico. Tell Barton when you see him, and tell him his mission is to track down an agent that is undercover as a science student down there. Tell him to find Moonflower, he'll know who to look for."

"Will do. Have fun."

"We need you."

"More than you know." Tony jumped into the conversation.

"Not that much." Coulson walked out, waving a hand at Tara.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go find Bow Boy!"

Tara scoffed and walked out of the lab. She found him on the roof, surveying the land.

"Hey," She sat down at his feet. "You gotta go to New Mexico. To find Moonflower."

"That brat's in for it this time." Clint crouched down next to her.

"Yeah? What for?"

"She's pulling me away from you." He ruffled her hair. "You cause more trouble than you're worth. No way Widow can handle you on her own."

Tara chuckled, watching the sunset and ignoring the sounds of destruction going on below them.

"Think you'll come back?" She looked away from the sky to look into his blue eyes. He gave a crooked grin.

"Do I have a good reason to?"

Tara's eyes glanced down at Clint's lips, then back up at his eyes.

"Do you?"

"Do I?"

Tara bit her lip, sat back a little and pulled a chain from around her neck.

"Rhodey made these for my Tonyversery.." On the chain were dog tags with her name and info on one and "Iron Girl" on the other. She slipped them around his neck. "Since you're with S.H.I.E.L.D., I assume you have your own. But...this gives you something to come back to."

Clint smiled wider and leaned down, kissing her cheek. He slipped a S.H.I.E.L.D. issue blue tooth communicator into her hand.

"I'll call if I need a little Iron-clad protection. You can call Tash. She's under Fury's orders to listen to your commands until this mission is complete."

He lay his hand against her cheek and looked at her for a few more seconds before he jumped off the roof, disappearing to God and Clint only know where.


End file.
